Jan Wesner Childs, Jimmy He and Sean Breslin
The scope of damage from Hurricane Idalia is becoming more clear as floodwaters recede along Florida's Gulf Coast.
Homes were inundated with water. Roofs ripped off. Vehicles and boats swept away.
And in Georgia, at least one person was killed by a falling tree. There are so far no deaths reported among the hurricane wreckage in Florida, but search efforts were still ongoing Thursday morning in the Big Bend area where Idalia made landfall Wednesday.
Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in the sweltering heat, and communities from Florida across Georgia and into the Carolinas are just beginning the assessment and cleanup process.
Here's the latest on the impacts of Idalia:
Biden Approves Florida Disaster Declaration
President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in Florida, authorizing federal aid to supplement recovery efforts.
Affected individuals in Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee and Taylor counties are now eligible for federal funding, which can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs and low cost loans to cover uninsured property damage.
DeSantis: 'People Did Heed The Warnings'
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore that, unlike last year during Hurricane Ian, residents in areas along Idalia's path followed evacuation orders and warnings about the storm.
"We were not getting the frantic 911 calls that we got during Hurricane Ian," DeSantis said while in Cedar Key, Florida.
Flood Threat Still Lingers In North Carolina
Winds are holding at 60 mph as the remnants of Idalia move east towards the Atlantic Ocean. Flood watches are still in effect for some of North Carolina’s coastal counties. Some areas such as Mullins, North Carolina, saw as much as 11 inches of rain on Wednesday.
Click here to watch the full forecast.
Aerial Photos Show Idalia's Devastation In Florida
From the air, images of a burned home, neighborhoods covered in water and roofs ripped off homes begin to show the full scope of damage in Florida. Click through the slideshow below to see more.
Over 230,000 Power Outages In Florida, Georgia
Over 140,000 homes, businesses and other utility customers are still without power across Florida, according to PowerOutage.us. This includes over 90 percent of customers In Taylor, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Suwannee and Lafayette counties.
More than 97,000 power outages are being reported in Georgia, mostly concentrated in the southeastern part of the state. Virtually all of Brooks and Echols county are without power.
What's Next For Idalia?
From weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman: Tropical Storm Idalia is still soaking parts of North Carolina and Virginia.
There could be more high tide flooding this evening and tomorrow morning in parts of Virginia and in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. That’s due to the combination of high tides and northeast winds pushing water that way.
Winds were gusting up to 74 mph this morning in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina.
Storm surge and gusty winds remain as concerns in these coastal areas.
Idalia will continue to move farther into the Atlantic throughout the day and could pass near Bermuda this weekend.
Much Of Lowndes County, Georgia, Remains Without Power
Crews are clearing trees and other debris from city streets and properties around Valdosta, the county seat of Lowndes County. At least 45,000 homes and businesses countywide were without power as of about 9:45 a.m. EDT, according to an update from Colquitt Electric Membership Corporation. Additional crews were en route to help.
Danny Nichols, president of the electric corporation, said in the update that the utility infrastructure suffered a "historic amount of damage."
"Given that today is the first full day of work after Idalia, we expect significant progress to be made today," Nichols said. "Several roads are impassable and much work has to be performed before we can even begin restoration in a lot of areas."
The city of Valdosta is offering free blue tarps to use for anything residents might need. Drivers are reminded that many traffic lights remain inoperable.
Crews clear trees in Valdosta, Georgia, on Aug. 31, 2023, after Idalia moved through.Cedar Key Businesses Damaged By Idalia
Floorboards are knocked out and roofs are peeled back after Idalia pummeled the island city off the northwest coast of Florida. The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore walked through the damage Idalia did to restaurants in the area, one of which is already starting the process to reopen.
Click here to watch the full video of Idalia’s impacts on Cedar Key.
Biden Approves South Carolina Emergency Declaration
President Joe Biden approved South Carolina’s emergency declaration on Thursday, opening the state to federal assistance for Idalia response efforts.
This order authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and provide assistance for required emergency measures.
Here’s How You Can Help Those Affected By Idalia
Donate to the Florida Disaster Fund, the state’s official fund to aid in rebuilding and recovery efforts. Collected money is then distributed to service organizations to help communities in need.
Donors giving money to The American Red Cross can now choose to have their money go towards Idalia victims, which helps provide those affected with food, shelter and relief supplies.
Other places to donate include disaster relief group Mercy Chefs, The Salvation Army and GoFundMe’s “Hurricane 2023 Relief Fund.”
Click here to learn about more ways you can help.
1 Dead In Georgia
Authorities in Valdosta, Georgia said a man was killed by a falling tree while trying to clear another downed tree as Idalia brought strong winds to the area Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Two others were injured at the scene, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk told the AP.
Earlier Wednesday, two fatal car crashes occurred in Florida – one in Pasco County and the other in Alachua County. They were blamed on wet roads caused by Idalia, but they weren’t directly attributed to the storm.
Here Are The (Preliminary) Top Rain Totals By State
-South Carolina: 13.55 inches, near Holly Hill
-Georgia: 9.97 inches, near Statesboro
-Florida: 9.48 inches, Citrus Springs
-North Carolina: 9.39 inches, Whiteville
These numbers are preliminary, and in some areas, the rain is still falling.
Charleston Inundated By Top-Five High Tide
Flooding was expected in Charleston, South Carolina, and water levels rose to the fifth-highest level on record at Charleston Harbor during high tide Wednesday evening.
Officially, water levels reached 3.5 feet above the normal high tide. At over 9.2 feet, it was the highest since Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Flooding Reported In Coastal North Carolina Towns
Flooding is seen in Southport, North Carolina, on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.As Idalia pushed up the coast, flooding was reported in several North Carolina towns. South of Wilmington, the town of Southport had serious flooding on numerous roads, which made travel impossible.
Idalia also downed trees and power lines across parts of North Carolina, where Gov. Roy Cooper had previously declared a state of emergency to better respond to the impacts of the storm.
How Are The Outer Banks Faring?
A stretch of coastline along the Outer Banks of North Carolina is seen here on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.As Idalia passes over North Carolina, people living on the Outer Banks – a series of small islands and inlets off the eastern coast of the state – are withstanding heavy rain and potential flooding.
N.C. 12, a state highway that connects the Outer Banks islands, remains open but locals are urged to stay off the road when possible. The North Carolina Department of Transportation warned of blowing sand, standing rainwater and an imminent high tide.
The coastal highway is often washed out by severe weather. Ahead of the storm, transportation officials built large sand dunes along stretches of the highway to prevent "overwash" as a result of storm surge flooding.
'All Hell Broke Loose'
A pickup truck with an American flag tied to it sits halfway into a canal in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.Speaking with the Associated Press, Perry, Florida, resident Belond Thomas said she and her family evacuated to a hotel with some friends. But as Idalia came ashore, even that location wasn’t safe, as the roof was torn off and debris fell onto the group, including Thomas’s pregnant daughter, who was uninjured.
“All hell broke loose,” she told the AP.
Many Schools Remain Closed In Florida
Schools in more than a dozen counties in Florida remain closed today. Counties affected include Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Leon, Madison, Polk, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla. The Florida Department of Education has a complete list of school districts and whether they've reopened or are staying closed today.
Some colleges and universities are also still closed. They include Eastern Florida State College, Tallahassee Community College, Florida A&M University, Florida State and the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus.
Click here for Wednesday's live updates page.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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